Natural beauty

I'm a believer in natural beauty.  Therefore, I usually don't wear make-up, heeled shoes or bother "doing" my hair.  Or at least the "natural beauty" thing is my excuse.  Actually, I'm just lazy.  Given I'm not overweight and don't yet have a face like a half-sucked mango, I like to think I can get away with my casual appearance.  If it was up to me, I would happily wear my tracksuit or leggings and trainers everywhere.  As it is, after much negotiation, G and I have reached a compromise, being that I can only wear such outfits  in public if I'm doing exercise or if I'm not in G's company.  He doesn't want to be embarrassed by my chavvy, casual look.   

Although G and I have reached this compromise, he still gives me disapproving looks when he discovers I've been out in public sporting a tracksuit, leggings or (sometimes) even just a coat thrown over my pyjamas (only when I'm getting the Sunday morning papers).  G tells me that, even at the local shops, it isn't good to look like a hobo.  I have always thought him uptight in that regards.  Now, however, I'm starting to come around to his way of thinking.

One area in which I am not lazy is in the personal grooming department.  Messy eyebrows irritate me no  end.  I like to keep mine looking natural but, as all women know, natural looking eyebrows are no less effort than their more shaped and sculptured cousins.  No grown woman actually wants natural eyebrows; the trick is to shape them so it looks like god gave us these beautifully shaped eyebrows, rather than the squashed caterpillar brows we're born with.  So I'm fastidious in removing those unsightly and out of place hairs and taking myself off to the beautician every now and again.

This weekend, G and I were in the rather unusual position of being in high demand for social events.  With two 30th birthday parties to go to on Saturday night, on Saturday I decided to attend the beautician to get my eyebrows done.  Given there's a beautician just around the corner from us, and given G wasn't accompanying me, I threw on my comfort outfit of leggings, uggs and flannel shirt. 

"Are you going out in that" G asked.  Yes, was my response. 

"You'll get cold".  So I threw my coat over the top.
"That looks no better.  Really, that is not a look you should sport in public.  Or anywhere".

I shot G a loaded "don't be so uptight" look as I walked out the door.  I didn't care that I looked ridiculous and off I went.  Oh, but I should have cared.  I really should have cared.

When I arrived at "Dee's beauticians" I gave the woman my usual mantra: natural looking, don't change the shape, just tidy them up.  Dee seemed to understand.  She pointed me to the table and quickly applied the wax to my eyebrows.  A few painful moments later and she gave me the mirror to see my reflection.  Staring back at me I found a woman with two eyebrows so thin they appeared to have been drawn on with a fine pencil.  Dee had managed to turn my "natural" eyebrows into two extremely thin lines.  They are the sort of eyebrows sported by young women who think pink velour tracksuits with heels are the height of fashion.   Dee told me that while she knew I said I wanted natural, she thought this look just suited me so much better.

And she's right in a way.  The "are they there or are they not" eyebrow look does perhaps suit the slightly insane look I was sporting that day.  On the other hand, they do not go at all with my usual look, which tends more towards the "I'm not a chavvy skank" trend. 

Don't tell G this, but I'm starting to think he is right.  Maybe, even when I'm only going down the road, it's time to trade in the comfort for a little bit of style.